Rams begin season at the Lions

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The St. Louis Rams’ primetime game this season will be a Thursday night home matchup against the Arizona Cardinals.

St. Louis alternates home and away games to start the season, opening at Detroit on Sept. 9, playing the Redskins at home Sept. 16, at Chicago Sept. 23 and against Seattle at home on Sept. 30.

The bye week will be Nov. 4, the week after the Rams play the Patriots in London. That game comes during the toughest stretch of the season, starting a week earlier against the Packers at home and following the bye with games at San Francisco and at home against the Jets.

The schedule doesn’t appear as daunting as last year, when the Rams played the last two Super Bowl champions, the entire NFC East and the Baltimore Ravens in the first seven weeks.